Awards & Fellowships

This document outlines the minimum requirements for the review and selection of all AADOCR awards, fellowships, and grants. All awards committees must have processes in place that meet these requirements, under the management of the Assistant Manager, Awards, Fellowships and Grants.[i]

There are more than 50 AADOCR award, fellowship, and grant opportunities. Each award/fellowship has a Committee which recommends a recipient(s) to the appropriate Board Governance Committee, then ultimately to the Board of Directors, in most instances.

AADOCR wishes to recognize its members through its awards programs while also managing several awards, fellowships, and grants supported by corporate sponsorships and donations. Award criteria, eligibility and application processes vary. A description of each award including scope, deadline date, frequency (annual, biennial, etc.), application process, award criteria, and past recipients, is maintained on the AADOCR award webpages above.

A Call for applications/nominations is included in blast emails to members, on the AADOCR website and in monthly newsletter AADOCR Science Advocate (SA).

Committees are vital to the successful review and implementation of AADOCR awards, and each year the Associations seek volunteers, representing as many geographic areas and scientific disciplines as possible, to fill committee vacancies. Committee Members serve a three-year term (unless otherwise noted), while Chairs are selected from current Committee members and serve a one-year term (usually in their last year on the Committee).

1. Committee members are responsible for recognizing and disclosing to the rest of the committee any conflict of interest that could be perceived to bias their decision in reviewing and selecting recipients. Committee members must withhold their evaluation of the award candidate if a COI exists.
   1. a. Committee members will recuse themselves from judging any candidate from their own institution (i.e. University, company).
   2. b. Committee members will recuse themselves from judging any candidate with whom they have had a close personal or professional relationship.
      1. A personal relationship would include a current or past spouse/partner or a close family member.
      2. ii. A professional relationship would include any of the following in the preceding three (3) years: a mentoring relationship, a reporting relationship, a substantial working relationship, collaboration in grant applications or research projects, or co-authorship of a submitted manuscript.
2. Members of the Award Committee are not eligible for the award being judged during their term of committee service.
3. Committee deliberations should not be shared with anyone outside the committee, nor should the award recipient be discussed until AADOCR has notified the recipient.

There are three primary methods for submitting applications or nominations for AADOCR awards: via email to the Assistant Manager, Awards, Fellowships and Grants, via the AADOCR online abstract site and via an AADOCR online awards submission site.

Deadline dates are clearly noted on the AADOCR award webpages. Extensions may be necessary due to a lack of appropriate number of applications or nominations, or to give applicants more time if needed.

All awards are assigned to an appropriate cycle that allows the necessary time for the selection process, recipient notification and award announcement.

All award applications/nominations must be submitted using the three primary methods described above. All applicants for AADOCR awards are required to agree to the AADOCR Policy for Honors and Awards upon submission of an award application or nomination.

The Assistant Manager, Awards, Fellowships, & Grants provides review instructions to each award review committee. Instructions include that ‘all applicants will be reviewed according to this AADOCR Award, Fellowship, and Grant Recipient Selection Policy and Procedures and given equal consideration.’ 

Should an award application request optional demographic information, the information is used for internal association recording purposes only. This information is confidential and is only accessible by the appropriate AADOCR employees and is not used as eligibility or selection criteria to conduct the review of award applicants. 

Any applicant demographic information is hidden from reviewers and applicants are instructed at the time of application that declining to provide this information will not affect their application.

[ii] Although the review criteria vary for each award, the following are critical steps that are required to be completed in the selection process:

1. Applicant eligibility and criteria requirements are verified by Assistant Manager, Awards, Fellowships, & Grants.
2. Application/Nomination reports are sent to the appropriate Committee Chair.
3. The Chair determines that there are sufficient qualified candidates who meet the award criteria to proceed.
4. On behalf of the Chair, the Assistant Manager, Awards, Fellowships, & Grants provides these instructions plus the link to the online awards submission site to all committee members.
5. The review process is conducted [see Scoring Methods]. The award committee shall review candidates using the evaluation criteria as defined by that particular award, fellowship, or grant.
6. Preferably the full Committee must participate in the review process, but as Committee members are volunteers, it is understood that circumstances may arise that prevent the participation of some members. However, a majority of Committee members must submit a review in order for a recipient to be selected. Detailed review instructions are given to the Committee in advance.
7. Scores are compiled by the Assistant Manager, Awards, Fellowships, & Grants and sent to the Committee.
8. A Video Conference Call (Zoom or similar) is conducted to select the recipient(s) and to discuss any issues, concerns about scoring or close applicant scores if the Committee deems necessary.
9. Final Committee Chair reports are submitted to the appropriate IA/AA Board Governance Committee for approval.
10. The Board of Directors gives final approval [except in cases of onsite award competitions held at the AADOCR Annual Meeting].

To ensure a fair and equitable review for selection of AADOCR award, fellowship and grant recipients, the following award scoring method for each review criteria is used for a consistent and proven approach to allow for a reliable review of award applications.  

Scoring Method

AADOCR uses the NIH Scoring for Grants and Funding, specifically the 9-point rating scale for each review criteria:

The AADOCR scoring system uses this 9-point rating scale (1 = exceptional; 9 = poor) in whole numbers only (no decimals) for most award applications.^[i]

• It is expected that scores of 1 or 9 will be used less frequently than the other scores.
• 5 is considered an average score.
• Reviewers should consider the strengths and weaknesses within each criterion on the award scoresheet. (The criterion established for each award will remain the same and will be scored using the 1-9 scale).
• The final application score is the average of all reviewer scores. Average scores will be rounded to the nearest whole number.

Acceptable Review Criteria
The review criteria vary by the award’s intent and is developed with review committee input.

Acceptable review criteria include:
Academic credentials
Projected career plan
Commitment to research career
Academic promise
Quality of research
Quality of application components such as the budget, personal statement, letters of support, etc.
Applicant’s ability to conduct proposed research
Institutional environment/commitment

After approval by the Board of Directors, the following actions will take place:

• Award recipient notification letters and/or email notifications are sent.
• Award recipient photos are collected for Opening Ceremonies recognition.
• Press Releases are sent/posted during the AADOCR Annual Meeting.
• Post-Presentation: Recognition of awardees will appear on the appropriate award website and in the Annual Report.

Award recipients are recognized at the AADOCR Annual Meeting Opening Ceremonies.

The American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) confers honors and awards, including awards, grants and fellowships (Award) on individuals for significant contributions to oral, dental and craniofacial research (the field). The AADOCR retains the right to use its judgment and discretion to grant, defer or decline to grant an Award to any person.

When AADOCR grants an Award, the Award reflects the AADOCR’s judgment that an individual’s contributions to, and effect on, the field are exemplary. When making decisions regarding Awards, AADOCR considers the effect of the individual’s work as well as professional and ethical conduct and reputation. It expects those who receive Awards to demonstrate that participation in and recognition by AADOCR are privileges. AADOCR expects that its honorees will serve as leaders of the field and embody highly professional and ethical conduct in their work and personal lives that does not cast serious doubt on their core ethics.

References to conduct in this policy include professional as well as personal conduct. Unethical conduct includes, among other acts, harassment and discrimination based on other factors unrelated to ability and promise (e.g., race and ethnicity), whether in isolation or intersecting with sexual harassment. These acts perpetuate longstanding structural and systemic barriers to participation of all talent in the field, have an immediate and adverse effect on individuals and undermine excellence in the field. AADOCR takes unprofessional and unethical conduct seriously, whether such conduct occurs in research, learning/teaching, practice or at AADOCR Annual Meetings. (See Section 3 of AADOCR’s Professional Conduct at Meetings Policy for a list of unacceptable behaviors.)

The AADOCR finds that determined unethical conduct of a current nominee for an Award, as well as credible, but undetermined, questions about the ethical conduct of such an individual, can contribute to longstanding structural and systemic barriers in the field. Consequently, for the purpose of placing heavier weight on what is best for excellence in the field rather than what is best for any individual when the two must be balanced, the AADOCR will not confer any Award on any individual whose conduct has been determined to be unethical. That determination will be based on AADOCR’s own review and AADOCR’s consideration of any others’ determinations (with supporting information) made available to AADOCR.

AADOCR will not confer an Award on any individual whose ethical conduct is the subject of a credible question known to AADOCR, so long as the question has not been finally and favorably determined to the AADOCR’s satisfaction, and in its discretion. When applying this policy in situations of credible but undetermined questions, AADOCR will withhold judgment and refrain from making a statement or determination regarding any individual. Rather, AADOCR will use this policy as a precautionary measure to support the broader field’s efforts to tackle longstanding barriers to excellence.

AADOCR’s conferral of an Award is an exercise of its discretion, not an obligation.

The AADOCR is aware of conduct issues about the Award recipient or potential recipient if its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or any individual who participates in the official Awards process, whether a staff member, committee member or decision maker, is aware. These individuals must notify an officer of the AADOCR Board of Directors.

Anyone who makes a nomination or recommendation and knows that the nominee has been determined to have engaged in unprofessional or unethical conduct, or that a credible but undetermined question exists about the nominee’s conduct, is required to make a disclosure to the AADOCR Board of Directors as part of the nomination process.

A person who is being considered for an Award (upon becoming aware of being considered), or who holds an Award, has a continuing duty to disclose to the AADOCR Board of Directors the existence of any fact, situation or circumstance that could be considered relevant to the AADOCR’s decision on whether to bestow or revoke an Award under provisions of this Awards Policy. Failure to make a disclosure may result in the AADOCR withholding, suspending or revoking an Award, per the AADOCR’s discretion.

Upon notice by AADOCR to a person already holding an Award, a suspension or revocation shall take effect. At least 30 days before a notice of revocation or suspension, AADOCR will give the holder of the Award a notice of intent to revoke or suspend the Award. The notice of intent will include a statement of the interests of the field served by the proposed revocation or suspension, in AADOCR’s judgment. The holder of the Award will have an opportunity to submit to AADOCR, within 14 days of receiving a notice of intent, a written statement of any reasons why s/he believes it would not be in the best interests of the field for the revocation or suspension to be affected. After that 14-day period, whether a statement has been submitted, AADOCR will act in its discretion. AADOCR, at any time, may review and act on pertinent information that was not available or known to it at the time of its decision.

Special circumstances arise when unprofessional and unethical conduct of a deceased person who holds an Award is raised. AADOCR will exercise its discretion to address such situations on a case-by-case basis and may determine that no action is needed. It will consider the following:

• A deceased person is unable to participate in even an informal investigation or process, is unable to defend against allegations, e.g., of sexual harassment, or to participate in restorative remedies.
• A deceased person cannot continue unprofessional and unethical conduct, eliminating threats that the conduct will be ongoing.
• Heightened concerns for impact on the field, even after death, may exist when the act of unprofessional and unethical conduct has been determined during a person’s lifetime and is highly egregious. This is particularly so when the deceased holder of the Award is very prominent in the field, or the Award is exceptional, or there is a named Award continuing to be conferred on others.
• When action is warranted, it may range from revocation of the Award to a statement about intolerance of the type of conduct raised. Revocation is an extraordinary remedy.
• AADOCR is not expected to newly investigate a question of professional and ethical conduct related to a deceased holder of an Award.

In the event of determined conduct inconsistent with an Award, or in the event of a credible but undetermined question about such conduct, the AADOCR may provide opportunities for restorative remedies. AADOCR would generally endeavor to consult the accused and consider, among other factors:

(a) the egregiousness, prevalence, effect, and age of such conduct, and the stage of career when it occurred;

(b) whether an individual with determined unprofessional and unethical conduct takes responsibility for the conduct and demonstrates through action (non-repetition) that s/he learned the necessary lesson and is unlikely to repeat similar conduct;

(c) whether an individual appears to be sincerely committed to demonstrating professional and ethical conduct, understanding how the determined conduct or questions of conduct occurred, avoiding a repetition, and restoring relationships—not just to qualify for receipt of an Award, but recognizing the importance of professional and ethical conduct to excellence in the field.

I, the nominator/applicant, agree to comply with the AADOCR Policy on Honors and Awards.

I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the nominee, or myself as applicant, has not been the subject of a filed allegation, complaint, investigation, sanction or other legal, civil or institutional proceeding, where there was a finding of misconduct; or, is currently the subject of such a professional conduct allegation, complaint or investigation.

Further, I agree to notify AADOCR promptly if there are any changes to my response. I acknowledge that failure to comply with the AADOCR Policy on Honors and Awards, may result in my, or the nominee’s, ineligibility to receive any AADOCR award or honor or the revocation of an AADOCR award or honor.